Norma Rae

PG

Released Mar 2, 1979

1h 53m

Drama

List

91%

32 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Like a lot of her family before her, Norma Rae (Sally Field) works at the local textile mill, where the pay is hardly commensurate with the long hours and lousy working conditions. But after hearing a rousing speech by labor activist Reuben (Ron Leibman), Norma is inspired to rally her fellow workers behind the cause of unionism. Her decision rankles her family, especially her fiancé, Sonny (Beau Bridges), and provokes no shortage of contempt from her employers.

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Critics Consensus

Spearheaded by a galvanizing Sally Field, Norma Rae is a heartening and politically powerful drama about an ordinary woman taking an extraordinary stand.

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Gertrude F

The defining strength of this film is the fantastic performances by the entire cast but most notably Sally Field who completely transformed into Norma and delivered a intensely impactful performance. Rob Liebman was also perfectly cast. I could feel that the focus of the director was the story, a story that's just brilliantly built and executed. The ending was also amazing, cleverly using the song "it goes like it goes" from the beginning once again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/23/24

Full Review

Tam R

Really enjoyed this film. First time seeing it. Was brought to my attention from Julia Louis-Dreyfus' podcast- Wiser Than Me- when she spoke with Sally Field. Inspiring story.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

Full Review

Alec B

Field and Leibman are very good here but the movie spends too much time on soap opera-esque character dynamics. If there were more scenes like the iconic one of Field holding up the "union" sign or the workers recounting their difficulties then this might have been a more effective drama.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Good story based on a real person (who wished to maintain her privacy) . Somewhat corny, but a solid story and a good reminder of how hard and dangerous the work to unionize was, even as recently as the 1970s.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

casnien v

Norma, a married woman working in a factory, is displeased with the unhealthy working conditions. She decides to combine other workers with Reuben, a union organizer. Will she succeed in her motives? Norma Rae is the type of movie, that is really driven by performances and if they are not great, the movie doesn't land. Luckily we have a movie with one of the best best actress winners of all time, Sally field. As someone who is a big fan of Sally Field, I have never seen either one of her best actress winning performances and I can now fully agree with everyone, that this is one of the best of all time and one that will stand the test of time for sure. Outside Sally Field her powerhouse performance, we absolutely can't forget Beau Bridges his performance and I am surprised to see, that he wasn't in the awards conversation that year as well, because he gives a very moving and powerful supporting performance and has one incredible scene. The movie has some solid camerawork, but outside of that, you don't really have to watch this movie for the technical side of things, it mostly place out in a couple of locations, which is of course not a bad thing. Yeah the movie might be a bit predictable, however that ending still got to me. Solid story, with some of the best performances I have ever seen!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/09/23

Full Review

teresa j

It is such a great underdog/women's rights movie. It deserves to be seen.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Martin Ritt

Director

Sally Field

Norma Rae

Ron Leibman

Reuben

Beau Bridges

Sonny

Pat Hingle

Vernon

Barbara Baxley

Leona

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

A bona-fide folk heroine.

Aug 11, 2022

Full Review

Gary Arnold

Washington Post

As a rule, the filmmakers manufacture fake climaxes every 10 or 15 minutes, poop out and lapse into forgetfulness, just as if they were structuring the material for television.

Mar 4, 2019

Full Review

Judith Martin

Washington Post

It's a dear and corny story, played with lovable grubbiness by Sally Field and Ron Leibman, but it's not about what you think.

Feb 6, 2018

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a deliberately-paced drama that grows more and more compelling as it unfolds...

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 27, 2023

Full Review

Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

I can't get over how loud Norma Rae is...but that loudness is the point, as it underscores the working conditions of the overworked and underpaid laborers in the film.

Jan 31, 2022

Full Review

Michael Ventura

L.A. Weekly

Best of all is Sally Field -- this may be her finest performance, the most exuberant and the most intelligent. She'll get an Academy nomination next year if there's any justice. Hyperbole aside: this is simply a good film.

Nov 5, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Like a lot of her family before her, Norma Rae (Sally Field) works at the local textile mill, where the pay is hardly commensurate with the long hours and lousy working conditions. But after hearing a rousing speech by labor activist Reuben (Ron Leibman), Norma is inspired to rally her fellow workers behind the cause of unionism. Her decision rankles her family, especially her fiancé, Sonny (Beau Bridges), and provokes no shortage of contempt from her employers.

Director: Martin Ritt
Screenwriter: Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank Jr.
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2020
Runtime: 1h 53m